Dinner With the Villains
by VioletRose13
Summary: In order for their families to make peace, Mal and Ben decide to hold a family dinner party with their parents so they can all get to know each other better.
1. The Plan

"Are you sure this is a good idea, Mal?" Belle asked as she her husband, son, and future daughter-in-law stood in the sitting room of their castle.

"Of course I'm sure, Belle." Mal said. "My dad has already turned himself around… now it's my mom's turn."

"But what if something happens?" Beast argued. "What if they get into a fight? You can't be too careful."

"Ugh, if anything happens, we'll call guards, okay?" Mal sighed in annoyance.

"We just need to make sure that this night goes off without a hitch." Ben chimed in, wrapping his arm around his fiancé's shoulder; he turned his head to face his parents. "Besides, this'll be a good way for all of us to get to know one another better."

Belle and Beast looked at each other with uncertainty before turning back to face their son. They let out a sigh.

"Okay, we'll do it." Beast said.

"If you think it's for the best." Belle added.

"That's the spirit. Now come on. Dinner will be ready soon." Mal said, heading towards the door with Ben at her side.

"Excuse me, Lady Mal." A servant said as he entered.

"Yes?" Mal asked.

"Lord Hades has arrived."

"Bring him in."

The servant stepped aside and Mal's father, Hades walked into the room. He smirked at his daughter.

"Am I too late?" He casually asked, holding his arms out.

"No way. You're right on time." Mal said, wrapping her arms around Hades in a hug; he hugged her back. "It's good to see you."

"Good to see you too, Mally."

They parted.

"So, what's all this about?" Hades asked.

"Well, we're about to have dinner and we were hoping… you would join us." Ben said, taking a step forward.

Hades paused. "Me?"

"Yes. Mal thinks it'll be a good way for us to get to know one another." Beast answered, almost sounding nervous.

"Oh… okay. I don't see anything wrong with that." Hades replied.

"And I hope you don't mind, but… someone else will be joining us, too." Mal said.

"Who? One of your friends? Fairy Godmother?" Hades asked before noticing the tense expression on his daughter's face; his face fell. "You don't mean…"

Mal waited for a moment before giving a small nod. Hades furrowed his brow and put his hand over his eyes, shaking his head. He took a deep breath and looked back at Mal.

"…Where is she?" He asked.

"She's in the other room with Fairy Godmother." Mal said, taking his hand and leading him down the hall; Ben and his parents followed close behind.

They entered another room where Fairy Godmother was waiting for them. She gave Mal a nervous smile.

"Hello, dear." She greeted.

"Hi, Fairy Godmother." Mal said.

"Wait… where is she? Didn't you say she'd be here?" Hades asked, looking around the room in confusion.

"Oh yeah, um…"

Fairy Godmother handed something small to Mal before she held out her hand to Hades; a little black and purple lizard was sitting in her open hand. Hades raised a confused eyebrow.

"What am I looking at?" He asked.

"Dad, this is… mom." Mal said.

Hades' eyes widened. "Really? What… happened to her?"

"According to Fairy Godmother, mom shrank down to the size of the love in her heart while she was a dragon… that's why she's so small." Mal explained.

"How has she been like this?"

"Since Ben's coronation a couple years back."

"That long?"

"Yep. And believe it or not, I think I may know how to turn her back."

"Turn her back? Oh boy…"

"Don't worry; I have it all under control."

Mal walked to the other side of the room and set the lizard down onto the floor before Fairy Godmother reluctantly handed her the magic wand.

"You guys might want to take a few steps back." Mal said; everyone did as they were told. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, she began. "This spell is like no other, turn this gecko back into my mother."

She waved the wand and the little reptile was surrounded by clouds of green and purple smoke. After a moment or two, the smoke disappeared and Maleficent herself was standing in the middle of the room. She squeezed her eyes shut and shook her head, unsure of what just happened.

"Ugh, what? What happened?" She asked before opening her eyes; she was greeted by the sight of her daughter holding the Fairy Godmother's magic wand. Her eyes widened. "Mal…"

"…Hi, mom." Mal greeted.


	2. Maleficent is Back

The room was deathly silent; nobody dared to move. Hades blinked a few times; he almost couldn't believe what he was seeing. He hadn't seen his ex-wife in almost two decades, but now she was standing right in front of him. Maleficent stared at her daughter in shock, unable to process what was really going on.

"…Mal?" She began after a long moment of silence. "Is that really you? Where are we? What's happening? What are we doing here? Why is there blue in your hair? Why are you holding Fairy Godmother's wand? And…" She almost gasped when she saw her ex-husband standing near the door; her eyes narrowed at him in anger. "…what is HE doing here?"

Hades furrowed his brow and folded his arms, but remained silent. Mal stepped in front of her father.

"Mom, it's okay. Dad and I are cool now." She said.

"Cool? Since _when_?"

"Well… it's kind of a long story, which we don't exactly have time for."

"Explain?"

"Well, dinner will be ready soon and—"

"So?"

"Hey, let her finish." Hades chimed in.

"You stay out of this." Maleficent hissed at him.

"Make me."

"I said stay _out_ of it."

"Why?"

"Because I said so."

"Really? And why should I listen to you?"

"Because I'm the Mistress of Evil, in case you're having a slow day."

Maleficent walked up to Hades and glowered up at her ex. Hades got down to her level and gave her a glare that was just as dark. Belle, Beast, and Fairy Godmother gave each other nervous looks as they slowly backed away from the two villains.

"I don't take orders from you or anyone else anymore." Hades snarled.

"Like you ever did to begin with." Maleficent scoffed.

"Who put you in charge in the first place?"

"You know who did."

"_Should_ I know?"

"Are you _trying_ to get on my nerves?"

"You've been getting on _mine_ first."

"Is that so?

"Yeah, it's so."

Her green eyes glowed and his blue hair flared up as they continued to glare at each other; their mouths suddenly twisted into frightening, angry frowns, as if they were growling at each other like wild animals. Right now, they both looked as if they were about to start a fight.

"Do you want a piece of me, Lead Head?!" Maleficent taunted.

"Oh yeah? Bring it on, Scary Godmother!" Hades yelled.

Ben and Mal looked at each other nervously before Mal finally intervened.

"Hey, hey, HEY! Break it up, you two!" She exclaimed as she pushed her parents away from each other; she glared at both of them and they glanced away from her, keeping quiet.

Mal nodded her head at Ben and he directed his parents and Fairy Godmother out of the room to give them some privacy. Hades and Maleficent mildly calmed down as they heard the door close. The three of them were now left alone; Mal took in a calming breath and looked at her mother with a stern look.

"Mom… you have missed a lot." She began, looking at her mother; she held up her left hand to show off her engagement ring and Maleficent paused. "Ben proposed to me not too long ago and I am going to become Queen soon."

The dark fairy's eyes widened.

"_Queen_? But… you're only sixteen." She said in disbelief.

"No. I'm _eighteen_ now." Mal corrected her.

"W-what? N-n-no! But-but that would mean… Where have I been?"

"You… have been trapped in the form of a small black and purple gecko for the past two years. Fairy Godmother said while you were a dragon, you shrank to the size of the love in your heart… which wasn't that much, apparently. Two years have passed since Ben's coronation and the barrier around the Isle of the Lost is gone and most of the villains, including dad, have been given a second chance here in Auradon. And now I used Fairy Godmother's wand to… turn you back to normal because I want to give _you_ a second chance, mother."

"I was… what?" Maleficent's face fell. "_That_ explains why I'm drawing such a blank. Wait… You really want to give _me_ another chance?"

Mal nodded.

After a moment, Maleficent straightened her back and looked back at her daughter. "The last thing I remember at your boyfriend's coronation was you asking me if I ever once asked you what _you_ wanted. And I realized that I never did. So, Mal? …What _do_ you want?"

Mal took a deep breath and gazed at her mother as Hades put a hand on her shoulder. "I want you and dad… to join me, Ben, and his family for dinner. Please?"

Maleficent blinked a couple times; she pressed her lips in thought. "…Very well, _dear_. I'll join you for dinner."

Mal and Hades looked at each other in disbelief.

"You will?" Mal asked.

"If it really means _that_ much to you, yes."

The door opened a tiny crack and a nervous, shivering servant poked his head into the room.

"Lady Mal? Dinner is ready and King Ben is wondering if you're alright." He said.

Mal hardly had any time to answer the servant before he quickly made his exit. The three of them looked at each other.

"Looks like someone's in a hurry." Maleficent commented.

Mal giggled to herself at the joke.

"So… should we get going?" Hades asked.

Mal nodded and took his hand before leading her parents out the door and through the hall to the dining room. Hades was on Mal's right side while Maleficent was on Mal's left; guards were eyeing them suspiciously as they walked. The moment the three of them entered the dining room, Ben and his parents were already waiting for them. A table was already set with perfectly clean plates, teacups, and saucers that were all made from fine china and the forks, knives, and spoons sitting around the plates seemed to be made of real shining silver. Ben turned and smiled at the sight of his fiancé.

"Please, have a seat." Ben offered a seat for Mal, which she promptly took; he sat down next to her.

Belle sat on the other side of her son, Beast was next to her, and Hades took a seat next to Mal; there was only one chair left… and it was in between Beast and Hades. Maleficent didn't really want to sit next to her ex, but she knew that she had no say in the matter and that if she even tried to object, she'd be in big trouble. So she reluctantly took her seat and remained completely silent.


	3. Tea

After a few seconds of waiting, three servants entered the dining room, two adults and a little girl with her blonde hair tied back with a ribbon and wearing a little blue dress and clean white apron. She shyly approached the table and she was holding a teapot in her little hands. A plump old woman kindly smiled and gave her a nod; it was her grandmother, Mrs. Potts. The girl nodded back before turning back to the table.

"Would, um… would any of you care for some tea?" The girl asked.

"Yes, thank you, Polly." Beast said, picking up his cup.

Polly nodded and obediently poured tea into his cup before moving on to Belle and filling her cup as well. Then she made her way around to Ben and Mal and filled their cups, but she paused just as she was about to approach Hades who was giving her a bored look. She took a step back in fear.

"It's okay, Polly. They won't bite, I promise." Mal whispered to her.

Taking a deep breath, Polly walked up to Hades.

"Care for some tea, Mister Hades sir?" She asked, trying not to sound terrified.

Hades rolled his eyes, picked up his teacup, and said nothing as Polly started to pour the tea.

"You can just tell me when to stop." She reluctantly said.

"Okay, stop. That's enough, thanks." Hades quickly said; Polly stopped and saw that the cup was filled to the brim.

Then she walked up to Maleficent, who had the same deadpan expression as her ex. The dark fairy took her cup.

"Just half a cup… _please_." She said, narrowing her eyes.

"As you wish, Madame Maleficent." Polly said as she poured; she stopped when it was half full.

"…Thank you." Maleficent said.

Polly nodded and quickly went to hide behind her grandmother; Mrs. Potts took the teapot from the little girl and set it to the side. Hades and Maleficent took a gulp from their respective cups; Belle and Beast looked at each other, then at their son.

"No cream or sugar with that?" Ben asked.

"Nope, I'm good." Hades answered.

"Me, too." Maleficent added.

Hades suddenly let out a burp. Mal cringed.

"Eww, dad." She said.

"Ugh, you could at least say excuse me." Maleficent muttered in disgust.

"Hey, I was just about to, but _you_ interrupted me… Excuse me." Hades said.

Maleficent rolled her eyes before glancing over at Mal; she decided to start a conversation. "So Mal, did… anything else _interesting_ happen while I was a lizard?"

"Oh! Well, um… do you remember Uma?" Mal asked with a nervous look in her eyes.

"Ursula's daughter? Yes, I remember her, barely."

"Well, she uh, she… held Ben hostage on her ship back on the Isle and threatened to throw him overboard if I didn't hand over the magic wand. And she, Harry, and Gil helped me stop Audrey from completely taking over Auradon not too long ago."

"Audrey? Isn't that Sleeping Beauty's daughter?"

"Yeah, she stole the Queen's crown and _your_ scepter from the museum to exact her revenge on Auradon for 'turning their backs on her' as she put it."

Maleficent's eyes widened; the child of her sworn enemies stole her staff and vowed revenge on her daughter… that was certainly something you don't hear every day.

"And I had to use Dad's ember to stop her."

"Really?" Maleficent looked back at Hades; he nodded his head in conformation.

"Yep. And between you and me, Audrey isn't exactly the nicest, sweetest girl in all the land. Not exactly queen material, if you know what I mean." He pointed out.

"Hmmm… I guess I can believe that." The dark fairy commented.

A man in a golden yellow suit cleared his throat; it was Lumiere. "I am very sorry to interrupt, but dinner is served."

"Oh yes, thank you, Lumiere." Ben said.

"Yes, thank you." Mal added.

"Of course, Your Majesties." Lumiere said as a few more servants entered and started to place food onto everyone's place.

Hades and Maleficent stared with wide eyes; they were expecting a casual dinner, but the food that was placed before them was anything _but_ casual. Hades looked around.

"Uh, excuse me? I don't mean to sound rude, but isn't this a little too much?" He asked.

"Yes, I'm not sure if I wanted any marinated this or garnished that." Maleficent chimed.

"What's wrong? Is this food too _fancy_ for your tastes?" A round man with a golden pocket watch asked the two villains.

"Now, Cogsworth, do not be rude to Mademoiselle Maleficent." Lumiere scolded his companion. "She and Monsieur Hades are our guests; we must make them feel welcome here. And after all, what is dinner without a little _music_?" He smirked.

Hades and Maleficent looked at each other nervously. "Music?"

"Oh, no! No, no, no, no! That's okay. We're fine; we don't need any Broadway-style musical numbers while we eat." Hades quickly said.

"Yes, yes. No need whatsoever." Maleficent added with a nervous chuckle.

"I'm sorry Lumiere, but I'm afraid they might be right. There's really no need." Beast chimed in.

"Oh, of course, of course. As you wish, master. Now, bon appétit." Lumiere said before he, Cogsworth, and the other servants exited the room.


	4. Breaking the Ice

Ben, Mal, Belle, and Beast had already started to eat, but Hades and Maleficent were very reluctant; they haven't had food like this before and they didn't know what to expect. Mal looked at her parents with a curious expression.

"What's wrong, guys?" She asked.

"I dunno, heh." Maleficent quickly said.

"Uh… not hungry, I guess." Hades lied.

Mal gave him a look to make him know that she knew he was lying.

"It's not poisoned, if that's what you're thinking." She said.

"I'm not thinking that!" Maleficent clarified. "It's just… I'm not accustomed to having this kind of food."

"Yeah. Nobody cooked like this on the Isle of the Lost." Hades added.

"Really? What sorts of things _were_ there on the Isle?" Belle asked.

"We mostly just had to eat old leftovers, like cold noodles with lukewarm sauce and gross old lasagna." Maleficent answered.

"And don't forget about the canned food. That was even worse." Hades chimed in. "I tell you, I've had to live off of that stuff in cans for the longest time. One time, I even found a live _rat_ in one of them."

Maleficent shivered at the thought. "Oooh, I remember that. The dreadful creature got away before we could properly kill it. Blech, gross."

"Well, don't worry. There's nothing like that here." Ben said. "Go on, dive in."

Hades and Maleficent nervously looked at one another before they picked up their forks. They cut a piece off of the meat on their plates and looked at each other again.

"I'm willing to do it if _you_ are." Maleficent said.

"Ready for the pain?" Hades asked.

"As I'll ever be. As the French say…"

"Un. Deux. Trois." They said in unison before taking a bite, closing their mouths tight and hoping for the worst.

Their eyes squeezed shut, but soon flew open when the flavor swirled around inside their mouths.

"Oh my gosh… this is AMAZING!" Maleficent exclaimed, taking another bite.

"Whoa! This is the best thing I've ever tasted!" Hades cried, shoving another piece into his mouth.

Mal smiled and giggled. "I'm glad you guys like the food, but you might wanna slow down. You could choke."

"Sorry. This food is just _incredible_." Hades said.

"I couldn't agree more." Maleficent added before the room suddenly went quiet.

Everyone looked to see that Hades and Maleficent's hands had touched. The two villains pulled their hands away and stared at each other in wide eyes for a good few minutes, unsure of what to say. Suddenly, there was a commotion coming from the hallway and the doors burst open. Carlos's pet dog, Dude, came running in with Cogsworth running after him.

"DUDE?!" Mal screamed.

Cogsworth and Dude stopped running and the little dog happily went up to Mal's chair.

"Hey, Mal. What's up?" He said, sounding as if nothing had happened.

"What are you doing here?" Ben asked.

"Sorry. Carlos and I were going for a walk when I saw a squirrel. I chased it to the castle, then I smelled food and made my way inside." Dude answered before turning his head in Maleficent and Hades' direction. "Oh hi, Hades." He then screamed when he saw the dark fairy. "Agh! Maleficent! Don't kill me!"

And with that, Dude ran out of the dining room and back into the hallway; Cogsworth ran after him again. Maleficent looked at her daughter with a raised eyebrow.

"…Since when did that mangy little fleabag start _talking_?" She asked.

"Long story." Mal admitted with an anxious smirk.

"I'm still _very_ confused about that dog." Beast commented.

"You and me both, dear." Belle said before she took a good look at the floor. "Oh great. Now he left a mess."

Everyone looked to see that she was right; there were muddy paw prints staining the once clean floor. Hades suddenly laughed.

"What? What are you laughing at?" Beast asked, almost sounding offended.

"Nothing, nothing." Hades said. "It's just these prints remind me of something Mal did when she was a baby."

Mal froze when she heard the word 'baby'; her eyes widened and her cheeks turned red, knowing all too well where this was going.

"Oh? What did Mal do?" Belle asked, sounding genuinely curious.

"Well, one day on the Isle, it was raining really hard and my two minions, Pain and Panic, forgot to lock the back door." Hades explained as he ate. "Mal was only a few months old at the time; she made her way outside and the next thing I knew, there were little muddy handprints and footprints all over the carpet and floor."

Maleficent suddenly let out a dramatic gasp and a tiny shriek before looking at Hades with a wide grin. "I remember that day! That mud took _forever_ to clean up. Oh! But do you remember how cute Mal's little face looked when we caught her?"

"How could I forget?" Hades mimicked a baby voice and made a puppy-dog face. "She was all 'Uh oh'."

They laughed as Mal's face turned even redder than before; she grimaced.

"That sounds adorable." Belle smiled. "You know, Ben did the exact same thing when _he_ was a baby. Only it wasn't with mud; it was with chocolate pudding."

Ben's face quickly turned beet red just as Maleficent and Hades turned to face Belle and Beast.

"Pudding? Ooh, do tell!" Maleficent said.

"Don't leave out a thing!" Hades added.

"It all happened when Ben was about six months old." Beast explained. "He made his way into the pantry and in less than a minute, the kitchen floor was completely covered in tiny chocolate handprints."

"Lumiere and Cogsworth were not too happy, I'll tell you that." Belle smiled.

Soon, the four adults started to share stories about what Mal and Ben did in their youth. The young couple could only sit in awkward silence, praying for their parents to stop soon.

"Babies do the darndest things, don't they?" Maleficent chortled.

"They sure do. Oh! And speaking of which, Ben also used to wear his diapers as a crown." Belle said in between giggles.

"Really?" Mal asked, looking at her fiancé.

"Mom! I told you not to bring that up!" Ben exclaimed in embarrassment.

"But it's so adorable!" Beast said

"Oh, I can only imagine!" Maleficent said.

"That reminds me of something else Mal did." Hades chimed in. "When she was very little, Mal used to steal some of my old togas from the laundry basket, drape them over her little head, and pretend to be one of the ghosts and spirits from Bald Mountain!"

"No!" Belle exclaimed with a grin.

"Seriously?!" Ben laughed; Belle and Beast laughed with him.

"I can only imagine how cute that must've been." Beast said.

"You don't have to. Just gimme a second." Hades said before he started rummaging through his coat pockets.

"Dad? What are you doing?" Mal asked before her father pulled out his old leather wallet.

Hades fiddled through his wallet for a moment or two until he found what he was looking for; a small folded up piece of paper. He unfolded it and smiled before presenting it to Belle and Beast.

"And here it is!" He proudly exclaimed.

Belle and Beast gasped when they saw what it was. "Awwwwww!"

Ben looked and saw that it was a picture of Mal when she was a baby. True to Hades' word, Mal was wearing a black toga over her head and trying to fly. Ben smiled at the photo as Mal buried her face in her hands in embarrassment.

"This is adorable!" Beast cried.

"The cutest thing I have EVER seen!" Belle gushed.

"Aww, Mal. You were so cute as a baby." Ben commented.

Mal stared at the picture in shock before turning her head to look at her father. "Dad? You… kept that picture of me… in your wallet? For _all_ these years?"

Hades looked at his daughter. "…Of course. Where else was I supposed to put it?"

"Let me see it! I wanna see!" Maleficent insisted; Belle gave her the picture and Maleficent immediately looked like she was about to cry. "Oh my gosh! I remember this now!"

"That is truly a priceless image." Belle commented.

"It is. Mal even made little ghostly noises like 'Boo!' and 'Whooooo' when doing this." Hades said as he and Maleficent leaned closer together.

"Oh, memories…" Maleficent beamed.

"Wow. This is going so much better than expected, huh Mal?" Ben asked; Mal didn't say anything. His face fell and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"

Mal wasn't paying attention. She only stared at her parents in silent awe; they were both smiling and laughing… _together_. Now _this_ was the true priceless image: her mother and father _finally_ getting along after all these years. She smiled and started to tear up.

"I'm perfect." She whispered.

"Oh, how sweet." An unfamiliar voice said.

Everyone turned their attention to the door to see two figures; one was an elderly man in a wheelchair and the other was a young man standing behind it. Belle, Beast, Hades, and Maleficent's eyes widened.

"…Forte?" Beast asked in disbelief.


	5. Forte's Entrance

The group of six stared at the man in the wheelchair in silence for a good few minutes, unable to say a word. The old man cleared his throat.

"It's not polite to stare. Isn't that right, Fritz?" He asked.

"Yes, father. _Very_ improper." The young man, Fritz answered smugly.

"Forte?" Beast asked again. "I don't mean to sound rude, but… wow. You… you've really let yourself go, haven't you?"

"Well I _might_ have packed on a few pounds since the last time you saw me, but that shouldn't matter." Forte said, sounding offended.

"Sheesh, either someone needs to shave or pluck their nose hairs." Maleficent whispered to Hades; he snickered under his breath.

Forte shot them a glare. "What's so funny?"

The two villains quickly sat up straight.

"Uh… nothing." Maleficent lied.

"Just a joke." Hades added.

"Is that so?" Forte wheeled over to them and his eyes narrowed at them. "So tell me, old friends… what are _you_ two doing here?"

"They're here for dinner. _I_ invited them." Mal quickly answered.

"And what is this?" Forte turned his head to face Mal. "Well, well, well, look who's all grown up and already making orders as _future Queen_." He gave her a sinister smile. "My, my, what a _beauty_ you have become."

Hades put an arm in front of Mal to protect her. "Leave her alone, Forte."

"Protecting your _half-blood_ daughter? Even though you were _barely_ a part of her life?" Forte asked with a taunting chuckle.

Hades snarled at him. "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, of course. How rude of me. I just came by with my son to see what all the fuss was about. I could hear the commotion you were making from upstairs; it's _very_ distracting, you know. You were laughing so hard I lost my concentration."

"We were only talking. It's none of your business." Maleficent chimed in.

Forte then gave the dark fairy a look that could be defined as either bored or sly. He rolled his eyes at her.

"Okay, look, who are you and what are you doing here?" Mal demanded.

"Mal, it's okay." Beast said. "This is Forte; he used to be the court composer… until he betrayed us and tried to kill us all."

"He did?" Ben asked with wide eyes.

"Yep." Beast answered.

"He was also banished to the Isle of the Lost, along with the rest of us villains, when your father became King." Maleficent told Ben.

"Yes, it's true." Forte said. "But after I was transformed back into my human self, I was completely paralyzed from the waist down. And _that_ is why I'm in a wheelchair, in case any of you were wondering."

"Well, we _weren't_ wondering." Hades bluntly chimed in.

"I didn't ask _you_… _Pluto_."

Hades suddenly froze. "…Where did you learn that name?"

Mal looked at her father in confusion. "Dad?"

"Oh, you don't know?" Forte said to Mal. "Pluto is your father's _Roman_ name. Ridiculous, isn't it?"

The God's face suddenly turned bright red; he glared darkly at the old man just as his hair started to flare up. But then he felt something touch his hand; he looked and saw that it wasn't Mal's hand on top of his… it was Maleficent's. He looked at her.

"You said you wouldn't tell anyone." He whispered.

"I didn't." Maleficent said with a nervous look.

"No one told me anything… I found it out for myself. I was digging around in some old archives back on the Isle when I came across that little detail about you, Hades." Forte chimed in. "And you can all thanks _Fritz_ for that."

Fritz gave a wicked smile and let out a creepy giggle just as Hades put two and two together. He stared at the young man.

"…_You_ threw that scroll at me?!" He screamed.

"I sure did." Fritz said proudly. "To be fair, I was only five years old and doing what my father told me at the time and I didn't quite understand it since I was so young… but I understand _now_." He bounced his eyebrows at Mal, who gave him a disgusted look. Ben put his arm around her and glared at Fritz.

"Maybe you should leave." He said in a dark tone.

"He's right. I think that would be best." Beast added; Belle nodded, taking her husband's hand.

"Leave? _Already_? But we were just getting _started_." Fritz said mockingly; he directed his attention to Maleficent and Hades and he saw Maleficent still had her hand on Hades' hand. "You know, I'm just surprised to see these two getting along after being apart for SO MANY YEARS. What say you, father?"

"I quite agree, son." Forte said, wheeling over to Fritz. "After that nasty divorce all those years ago, I would've thought they had fallen out of love with each other and found someone else. But now… do I see sparks fly between you again?" He smiled a sinister smile at the two villains.

"Will you cut that out?!" Hades shouted, banging his fist on the table.

"Ooh, cut it out?" Forte taunted. "That is cold, even for _you_."

"Don't forget, old man, I can always turn up the heat!" The God gritted his teeth at Forte in anger.

"Dad, calm down." Mal said, grabbing her father's arm; he looked at her. "Don't let him get to you."

"She's right. Forte is just trying to get under your skin." Maleficent added; she narrowed her eyes at Forte. "It's what he does."

"Even after all these years, you still comfort _him_." Forte spat at the dark fairy. "Why is that, I wonder…?"

"You stay _out_ of this." Maleficent hissed.

"Why should I?" Forte leaned in closer to the fairy's ear. "I simply cannot fathom how you would _still_ gravitate towards this selfish, unprincipled _liar_ who doesn't deserve your trust… especially after the way he _betrayed_ you."

Maleficent tried to stand her ground, but it was very hard.

"And after you've been through _so_ much together; especially… the Blood Moon Ball."

The dark fairy suddenly froze and her face fell. She quickly stood up from her chair, letting go of Hades' hand in the process. Mal looked at her mother with concern the moment she noticed her eyes start to fill up with tears.

"Mom? Are you okay?" She asked.

"I, um… I'm not feeling too well." Maleficent lied, trying to hold back her tears. "I… I have to go."

"Mom?"

And with that, Maleficent briskly walked out of the dining room and down the hall, leaving everyone else in awkward silence. Hades glared at Forte again.

"…What did you say to her?" He demanded, his eyes burning like embers.

"Really, Hades? You are _still_ defending her?" Forte scoffed. "I thought you _hated_ Maleficent with all your soul. That is, if you even had one."

"You'd better watch your tone, Maestro." Hades snarled at him.

"Especially after she betrayed you." Fritz whispered into the God's ear; Hades froze. "Still hurts, doesn't it? You really loved her, didn't you? But since you're powerless, she doesn't respect you anymore and _that's_ why she hurt you the way she did. They don't call her the Mistress of Evil for nothing, you know."

Hades suddenly stood up from his seat as well; he had a hurt look on his face.

"Uh… I have to go, too." He said as he headed towards the door.

"Dad? Dad, wait!" Mal called, but Hades had already left.

After a long moment of silence, Fritz looked at Forte with a smug smile. "Tell me, father; were those two _always_ so emotional?"

"Some days are better than others, son." Forte answered.

Mal glared at the two uninvited guests. "What did you say to them?!"

"Why we were only speaking the truth. Right, Fritz my boy?" Forte answered, trying to sound innocent.

"Nothing but the truth." Fritz said.

Mal stood up and walked away from the table.

"Mal? Where are you going?" Ben asked.

But Mal didn't answer; she just kept walking. And before she headed out the door, she turned her head to glare at them again.

"I'll deal with you two later." She said as her eyes flashed bright green.

She headed out the door. Forte and Fritz nervously looked at each other, then at Ben and his parents who didn't look too happy.

"We're in trouble, aren't we?" Fritz asked.

"…Big time." Ben replied, narrowing his eyes.


	6. A Chat With Mom

Mal stood in the hall near the room she thought Maleficent was in; she was very scared to approach her mother when she's in a mood, but she has never seen tears in Maleficent's eyes before. Something must've been very wrong. After a long moment of silence, she finally gathered up her courage and gently knocked on the door.

"Go away!" Maleficent's voice said on the other side.

"Mom, it's Mal. Can I come in?" Mal asked.

"…Just you." The dark fairy answered after a moment.

Taking a deep breath, Mal opened the door and went inside. The room was completely dark and silent, but she could just barely see the silhouette of her mother sitting on the edge of the canopy bed with her back turned to the door. She slowly and nervously walked over to Maleficent, unsure of what was going to happen if she got too close. But even in the dim light, she could just make out a sorrowful look on the dark fairy's face.

"Mom? Are… are you okay?" Mal nervously asked.

"Do I look okay?!" Maleficent shrieked at her daughter; her eyes glowed green again.

The purple-haired girl jumped back at her tone. Maleficent sighed as she turned to face her daughter again; Mal reluctantly sat beside her.

"Ugh, stupid mouth. Sorry, dear. I didn't mean to leave like that. I'm just… going through some things."

"Is it because of what Forte said to you?"

"…A little."

"Well, don't worry. Ben and I will take care of Forte and Fritz as soon as dinner's over and they'll never bother you or dad again."

"Mal… you really don't have to do that." The dark fairy sighed and put her hands over her face.

"Yes I do." Mal scooted a little closer to her mother. "Like you said, Forte was just trying to get under your skin. It's what he does, isn't it?"

"Yes, but… I'm not upset because what Forte said was mean… I'm upset because it's _true_!"

Mal's eyes widened. "What? What's true?"

Maleficent sighed again and turned her head to face her daughter; tears were stinging her eyes and threatening to fall.

"You don't know what Forte said to me, do you?" She asked.

Mal shook her head.

"He just told me that even after everything that happened between me and your father… I still go to him and try to defend him." Maleficent explained. "Forte called him a selfish, unprincipled liar who doesn't deserve my trust… and perhaps he doesn't."

"Why would Forte say that?" Mal asked.

Maleficent paused. "…Have I ever told you about the Blood Moon Ball?"

"No, I don't think so. In fact, I don't think you've _ever_ told me anything about before I was born."

"I figured. I never told you, but I remember the whole thing like it was yesterday. You see, the Blood Moon Ball was something really big that happened the first year us villains were banished to the Isle of the Lost. There was an incredibly rare Total Lunar Eclipse coming up that year and everyone on the Isle decided to throw a big party in its honor."

"A Lunar Eclipse?"

"A _Total_ Lunar Eclipse, dear; everyone just called it the Blood Moon because of the blood red glow the moon gave off. This eclipse was so rare that it only happens once every fifty-five years, but that's beside the point. Your father and I were just friends at the time and I was very excited about the Ball. Everyone on the Isle was invited but for some reason, Hades didn't want to go. Normally, he loved parties and I thought that he and I could go to the Ball together and have a good time, but he said the Ball wouldn't be his style or speed, whatever that meant and that he'd rather stay home."

"Why?"

"I don't know why. But he said that if I've been around for as long as he had, the Blood Moon would lose its wonder. Anyway, I offered to stay at his lair with him so he wouldn't be lonely, but he told me I should go to the Ball anyway, since he knew how excited I already was. He also said that a mortal getting to see a full Blood Moon would be a once in a lifetime opportunity and that I shouldn't waste it."

"And you went?"

"Mmhmm, reluctantly. Everyone was dressed up for the occasion, wearing dresses and suits in various shades of red. And all _I_ had to wear was my favorite black satin dress, but I didn't care much about that. I was just happy to be there… even though I wished Hades was there with me. I was talking with Cruella and the Evil Queen by the refreshments table when Forte approached me in his wheelchair. He bounced his eyebrows at me and asked me for a dance… but I lied to him and told him I had a date, which I didn't." She shivered. "That part I'd rather forget. Then various couples started to go out onto the dance floor; the Blood Moon Waltz was about to start and not wanting to be any closer to Forte any longer, I went out onto the dance floor too, completely alone. I was standing right smack in the middle when suddenly, I felt someone grab my hand. I dreaded that it was Forte, but to my surprise, it was Hades."

"I thought he didn't want to go."

"That's what _I_ thought too. But then the next thing we knew, Hades and I were bathed in a bright red light. We looked up and saw that it was the Blood Moon; it was making its way through the dark storm clouds and shining down on us both. And for a few moments, I felt that Hades and I were the only two people left on Earth. The Waltz began to play and we started to dance. I honestly had no idea your father could dance, but I was proved wrong… and I didn't care. We continued to dance in the Blood Moon's light, staring into each other's eyes." Maleficent sighed dreamily. "It was like I was in a dream; I felt warm and safe in Hades' embrace and… and I didn't want to let go of that feeling. It was nice… and I liked it, a lot. Then just before the song was coming to a close, he pulled me in for a dip and after a moment, he leaned in and… he _kissed_ me."

Mal gasped. "And did you…?"

"That's right." Maleficent said. "I kissed him right back just before the bright red light of the Blood Moon finally faded behind those clouds."

"So… the Blood Moon Ball… was where you and Dad had your first kiss?" Mal asked.

"It sure was. That was probably one of the happiest moments of my life. But then… something happened."

"Forte?"

"Yep. He pushed his way in between us and he glared up at Hades; your father glared back at Forte and loudly asked him what he thought he was doing. Then Forte said something that made _no_ sense to me."

"What did he say?"

"He said… 'That dance was meant for ME!'."

Mal's eyes widened. "Say what?"

"Don't ask me for an explanation; I'm _still_ confused about it to this day. The rest of the Ball was a bit of a blur, but I remember hearing Forte and Hades yelling at each other for something, I don't know what though. Anyway, the romantic mood was ruined and the Ball was already over… all because of Forte."

"Wow… Was Forte _always_ such a buzz kill?"

"From what I heard, yes. He never had fun at those parties. But that's not the point of the story. When Hades and I walked home, we had a bit of a discussion. I was angry at him for lying to me about not wanting to go and for embarrassing himself and me at the Ball. But then I told him I thought he doesn't trust me to handle things on my own and that unlike the prissy pink princesses here, I don't need a hero. What I really needed… was a friend. But then out of nowhere, he dropped the biggest bombshell I've _ever_ heard… Hades told me that he loved me and _that's_ why he kissed me on the dance floor. But then I told him… I loved him too, but I was… too afraid to say so."

Mal paused, unsure of what to say next. Maleficent the Mistress of All Evil… AFRAID?! It sounded unreal, too unreal.

"So that was when we started dating, and everything was wonderful for a while. Then after almost a year of dating, we got married. Then a couple years after that… we had you."

Mal paused again; her face fell. "Is… _that_ where the problems started?"

Maleficent flinched and went quiet; she looked like she didn't want to answer that question. She sighed.

"I honestly _still_ don't know what happened between us." She explained. "I mean, we were happy. Sure we had a fight or two, but fights are normal, aren't they? But then… there was the tiff. One day out of nowhere, I was playing with you in our house when your father's two minions, Pain and Panic, told me something I'll never forget."

"…What did they tell you?" Mal asked nervously.

Maleficent sniffed, trying to hold back her tears. "They told me that… they caught Hades with another woman."

"WHAT?!" Mal shrieked in shock.

"That's what I said! I got really angry at them and told them they were liars, but then… they showed me a photo. It was of your father… with some woman with black hair and wearing a red dress and a kransen and she was holding a wooden scepter in the shape of a snake, almost like Jafar. I think her name was… Circe."

"Circe? Isn't she like some evil Greek enchantress?"

"Yes."

Mal paused and furrowed her brow in thought; in all of the years she lived on the Isle, she had NEVER met anyone with the name of Circe. And if so, what would an enchantress from Greece be doing on the Isle of the Lost in the first place? It just doesn't make sense. She looked back at her mother and was surprised to see that she was on the verge of tears.

"When they showed me that photo, I was devastated." Maleficent said. "And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, Pain and Panic also told me that Hades was saying things about me. They said he called me a loud, selfish, pint-sized, overbearing control freak and that he would never want to be with me." A single tear fell from her left eye. "I had never felt so betrayed in my life. And even if I had, that would've been _nothing_ compared to the heartbreak I felt that day."

"And was that… why you guys split?"

"AGH! I should've seen it coming, though!" Maleficent groaned and buried her face in her hands in exasperation.

"What are you talking about?"

"Well, I'm not exactly the perfect woman, am I?" She looked back at Mal. "I just wish I could go back in time and take everything back! But I _can't_, I just _can't_! I don't even know what I did wrong! I know I've been a terrible wife to Hades and a horrible mother to _you_ and people like me don't deserve a second chance, and-and-and… and I-I… I JUST WANT MY HADES BACK!"

Maleficent burst into tears and buried her face into the nearest pillow, bawling her eyes out into it. Mal could hardly believe what she was looking at; her own mother was genuinely _sad_, so much so that she was _sobbing_. It was completely out of character for the Mistress of Evil and Mal had no idea what to do.

"You… want Dad back?" Mal asked.

"More than ANYTHING." Maleficent said in between sobs; she sat up straight and wiped her eyes. Her makeup was running, but she didn't seem to notice or care. "I know it's wrong, but… but I still love him, even after everything we went through. I don't understand how, why, or what, but it's true. And yes, I may be attracted to powerful men, but it wasn't the power that I loved, it was _him_. I thought what he and I had was special and I didn't want to let that go. But… it's never going to work, I know it won't. Hades will _never_ want to have me back, and _that's_ a cold-blooded fact."

"But… if you still love Dad so much, then… why did you—?"

"I know what I said at the coronation. I only said falling in love was weak and ridiculous because I didn't _your_ heart to get broken the same way _mine_ did. I didn't want _you_ to experience the same thing your father and I went through. I only wanted to protect you. But now I realize that I went about it in the wrong way." Maleficent took Mal's hands in her own and looked her dead in the eye. "…I'm sorry, Mal."

Mal's eyes widened and her mouth nearly fell open.

"I am truly, sincerely sorry for being such an awful mother to you for all these years; that whole dispute wasn't your fault, it never was. I just believed that if I could distract myself with thoughts of revenge on Auradon that my heartache would fade… but I guess it never did. Some wounds can never heal completely. I was so blinded by my own sadness, remorse, and anger that I took it all out on _you_ and I used you for the sake of my own petty revenge when you were invited to come live here and… and I didn't even realize I already had something amazing in front of me." She tenderly put a hand on her daughter's cheek and wiped away a small tear. "You. And I guess I just didn't want to let you go yet." She sighed in defeat. "But… I don't deserve your trust _or_ your forgiveness and I understand if you never want to see me again. I just thought that maybe I…"

Maleficent was suddenly cut off by Mal wrapping her arms around her in a tight hug. The dark fairy froze in surprise, but then she hugged her daughter back. The two of them just sat there and hugged while crying on each other's shoulders.

"Mom, I've already forgiven you." Mal whispered in her mother's ear. "Why do you think I invited you here? We all make mistakes, but we learn from them and we can _all_ learn to be better, even you."

They parted and looked at each other. Maleficent wiped her eyes again and sniffled.

"You have no idea how happy I am to have you back in my life." She whispered.

"Me too."

"Honestly, how did I end up with such a wonderful daughter?"

"I don't know. Sometimes you just get lucky."

"…Then I really did."

Mal smiled. "Hey, do you want to join us in the dining hall for dessert?"

"No, thank you. I'm trying to cut down. If it's alright with you, I think I'll just head to bed early. That was emotionally exhausting and I am beat."

"Okay, if you say so." Mal got up and headed towards the door. "I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight, Mom."

"Goodnight, my little songbird. I love you." Maleficent said just as Mal grabbed the door handle.

The purple-haired girl paused and looked back at her mother, her eyes filling up with tears again. This was probably the first and only time she's heard her mother tell her those three little words.

"I love you, too."

Maleficent smiled at her daughter. And with that, Mal exited the room and closed the door behind her; she smiled, happy to be on good terms with her mother again. Now all she had to do was find Hades and see how he was doing.


	7. Talking With Dad

Mal searched all over the castle for her father, but she couldn't find him anywhere. She asked many servants where he had gone, but no one has seen him. Then she decided to ask Lumiere, Cogsworth, and Mrs. Potts. She went to the kitchen and luckily, they were all there.

"Hey, guys?" Mal said as she entered.

"Hello, Mademoiselle Mal." Lumiere greeted.

"Is something wrong, dear?" Mrs. Potts asked.

"Have any of you see my dad around? I can't find him anywhere." Mal said.

"I'm not sure I have." Cogsworth said, scratching his chin in thought.

"What happened? Did he not like dinner?" Lumiere asked.

"No, I'm sure he did. It's just… Forte and his son came in and said some hurtful things to both my mom and dad. I talked with my mom not too long ago and she's feeling a lot better, but now I just need to talk to my dad to see how he's holding up. But he's nowhere to be found. He couldn't have just vanished into thin air, right?"

"I understand that you're worried, child. Forte was always such a bully, even to a few of the other villains from what I heard. But if we do see your father, we'll let you know right away. Right, boys?" Mrs. Potts looked at Cogsworth and Lumiere.

"Right." The two men said.

"Thank you so much." Mal said before exiting the kitchen.

It was then that see was greeted by Polly and two other people.

"You're looking for Mister Hades?" Polly asked.

"Yes, Polly. Have any of you seen him?" Mal asked.

"Well the last time I saw him, Hades was heading towards the front door. Right, Conrad?" A tall thin girl answered.

"Yes, Lorelei. I saw that too. Perhaps he's going home early." A short round boy added, nodding his head.

"He must've gone outside. He could've walked back to the Isle by now. Thanks, you guys." Mal said before heading towards the foyer.

Almost in a panic, Mal ran to the main hall as fast as she could and pushed the door wide open. She was about to run out onto the bridge before she looked to her left and saw her father sitting on the steps with his head hanging low. Her eyes widened and she sighed in relief.

"Dad! Thank goodness I've finally found you. I was so worried. I really need to…" She started before she noticed the broken look on Hades' face; he looked sad and defeated.

She reluctantly sat down beside him.

"Uh… everything okay?" Mal asked.

Hades didn't look up. "…No."

"Forte and Fritz?"

"…Yep."

"What did they say?"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Hades turned away from Mal.

"Talking will make you feel better."

"Leave me alone, Mal."

"Come on, what's wrong?"

"You wouldn't understand."

"Is this about the Blood Moon Ball? Or is it something else?"

Hades froze and sat up straight at the mention of the Blood Moon Ball. He looked over at his daughter and Mal could see that he had tried and failed to hold back a few tears… more than once.

"How do you know about the Blood Moon Ball?" He asked.

"I… talked to Mom a few minutes ago and she told me about it. She also said… that was where you guys had your first kiss." Mal said. "Is that true?"

Hades hesitated for a moment, but he relented. "Yes, it's true. Our first kiss was at the Ball."

"Wow. Sounds like you guys had a bit of a fairy tale moment of your own, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess we did… What else did your mother tell you?"

"She told me that you lied about not wanting to go. Why?"

He groaned. "I should've known this day would come. Your mother told you _her_ side of the story, now I think it's about time I told you _mine_."

"I'm listening."

Mal scooted closer to her father and took a hold of his hand; he smirked at her.

"Every villain on the Isle of the Lost was invited to the Blood Moon Ball, including me." Hades began. "I was probably more excited than anyone else, honestly. I mean, a festival in honor of a rare Total Lunar Eclipse? What could be better than that?! My fellow Gods on Olympus wouldn't even bat an eye at the mere idea of it, because they've seen this Eclipse _multiple_ times. But not me. I had _never_ seen a real Blood Moon before, probably because I've been living down the Underworld for countless millennia and because of the full-time gig to judge dead souls my brother, your Uncle Zeus, bestowed upon me in the first place. Anyway, now there was nothing holding me back and on the Isle, I felt I could finally do whatever I wanted. But what I wanted to do the most was go to the Ball with your mother."

"You wanted to ask her to be your date?" Mal asked.

"Uh-huh. I was just about to approach Maleficent to ask her when… Forte approached me." Hades went on; he nearly spat Forte's name like sour gum.

'Oh boy, I should've known.' Mal thought.

"He asked me what I was doing, I casually told him, and his face suddenly fell into some kind of scowl. Then he said something that gave me a bit of a chill… and that's saying something."

"What did he say?"

"All he said was, 'I wouldn't do that if I were you' or something."

"_That's_ what scared you? An empty threat?"

"It wasn't exactly an empty threat; I could tell he meant it. But I scoffed at him and told to back off… and he wasn't too happy with that response. He then told me that if I dared to ask Maleficent to be my date for the Ball, then he'd make sure I regretted that decision."

Mal froze and her face grimaced into a look of shock and disgust. "First Forte threatens to hurt you for wanting to ask Mom out, then he tried to get with her at the dance?! What is this guy's problem?!"

"I don't know what his problem is, Mal, but I have a feeling his is pretty similar to Judge Frollo's problem, if you know what I mean."

"Frollo? You mean that crazy, pompous, self-righteous, wrinkle-faced egomaniac?" Mal shivered. "Great. Now you just made my opinion of Forte even worse."

"Can I get back to the story now? I'm just about to get to the good part."

"Oh yeah, sorry. Go ahead."

"Thanks." Hades continued. "Forte then told me that I shouldn't even go to the Ball, unless I'd want to end up where the other souls I've judged ended up. I was scared, but I stood my ground; I didn't want to give him the satisfaction of seeing fear in my face. So I just walked away and when I met up with Maleficent… I lied." He sighed. "I didn't want to lie to her; I just wanted to protect her. She was disappointed and she even offered to stay with me for the night, but I told her she could go anyway. So on the day of the Ball, she went… but I couldn't risk letting anything happen to her. So… I snuck out and went to the Ball anyway."

"Then… you and Mom danced?"

"In the Blood Moon's light? Yep. Forte was about to wheel over to her again when she made her way to the dance floor, but I couldn't let him get to her first. So I ran over to Maleficent as fast as I could and pulled her closer to me just as the bright red moonlight broke through the clouds and poured down on us. We stared into each other's eyes, completely flabbergasted. Then music started playing and we danced and… it was a lot of fun. I'll never forget that night." Hades smiled dreamily at the memory. "The way your mother's eyes shimmered as she looked up at me, her gleaming smile, her infectious laugh, her grace and elegance; she looked radiant. As we danced, I realized that I didn't want to let her go… ever. I felt as if she and I were the last two people on the planet and I wanted this moment to last forever."

"Then… you kissed her?"

"Yeah. It felt… good, really good. And in that moment, everything was perfect… then that moment ended."

"Forte came over and yelled at you?"

"Uh-huh."

"Let me guess. He said 'That dance was meant for me' right?"

"Your Mom told you that?"

"Yep. Care to continue?"

"Oh, right." Hades continued his tale. "Anyway, Forte and I started screaming at each other and I threatened to destroy him before Maleficent grabbed my arm and calmed me down. That was when your mother and I left. When we made it home, she yelled at me for lying to her and for not trusting her to take care of herself."

"Did she tell you she needed a _friend_, and not a hero?"

"Yeah." He sighed. "I apologized for not telling her the truth and for ruining her night."

"Well… from what I heard, I don't think Mom believed her night was a _total_ disaster. She told me she really wanted to go to the Ball with you."

"She did?" Hades looked at his daughter, sounding surprised.

"Yeah. But… do you know why Forte wanted to get so close to Mom?"

"…I do. The thing about the Blood Moon… was that Eros and Aphrodite cast a spell on it eons ago. The spell made it so that any two souls who stand under the ruby red moonlight would be bound for all eternity."

"So… it's a _curse_?"

"No, of course not. The moonlight only amplifies the true feelings two people have for one another."

"And you know that how?"

"I did a little research on the subject before the Ball."

"So not only was the Blood Moon yours and Mom's first kiss… but it was _also_ the reason you and Mom confessed your feelings for each other?"

"That's right. And I guess I have Aphrodite and Eros to thank for that." He chuckled and looked up at the sky.

Mal's eyes widened in surprise; she had no idea the Blood Moon had such a significance in her parents' love story… and she thought it was really sweet and romantic, aside from Forte ruining the mood of course. She looked back at Hades.

"So… what happened between you and Mom?" She hesitantly asked.

Hades' smile quickly turned into a frown; he sighed and put a hand over his eyes. "I figured you'd ask that sooner or later, but this is the part of the story where it gets a little on the sad twist side. It happened when you were almost a year old; I was out running errands while your mother stayed at home to watch you."

'Oh no, here it comes…' Mal thought, remaining on the edge of her seat; she tensed up and braced herself for the inevitable.

"I was in the market picking up some stuff for lunch when my two minions, Pain and Panic, rushed up to me." Hades went on. "I asked them what was going on, and… they told me something that made my blood run cold."

"What'd they say?"

He inhaled through his nose. "…They caught Maleficent with another man."

Mal's eyes widened again. 'Wait, WHAT?! That can't be right!'

"I was so mad that I screamed at them and called them liars… before they showed me a photograph of your mother. She was with… the Horned King."

"The Horned King?" Mal asked.

"Some rotten old goblin guy who tried to use a magical black cauldron to take over the world with an undead army."

By now, the purple-haired girl was very, VERY confused. First Maleficent said Hades cheated on her with Circe, now Hades was saying Maleficent had cheated on him with the Horned King? This can't be right; none of this is making any sense.

"I was a total wreck when they showed me that picture." Hades said. "Then Pain and Panic told me that they heard your mother talking about me. They said she called me a lazy, leatherhead, thick-skulled, powerless, deadbeat loser who doesn't deserve a family. I'll tell you one thing, Mal; I had NEVER felt so hurt in my life. That… was when I fired them both from their henchman-ship and I never saw them again after that."

Mal remained silent, but continued to listen.

"I just don't get it! What happened between us? I'm _still_ trying to figure that out, even after all these years! I thought we were happy! …How did things go so wrong?" Hades buried his face in his hands and Mal could faintly hear a few sobs.

"…Dad?" She nervously put a hand on his shoulder.

"I want her back! I admit it! I want her back! Hear that, Zeus?! Do you hear me up there, brother?! I WANT MALEFICENT BACK!" Hades screamed at the sky; his hair flared up.

The moment the blue flames in his hair flashed to life, Mal could clearly see that her father's face was stained with fresh tears and more were streaming down his cheeks. She had never seen the Lord of the Underworld cry before.

"But… you said you hated Mom." Mal hesitantly chimed in.

"Yeah? Well I _lied_, okay?! I love her, I admit it! I still love Maleficent! I know it's wrong, but it's true! I really thought she was the one! No matter what I tell myself, I can never get her out of my head! I just…" He let out an exasperated sigh and brought his hands to his head. "…I just wish there was something I can do to make it up to her. But it's hopeless; she'll _never_ want to see me or speak to me again."

"What makes you say that? You two were getting along just fine at dinner." Mal pointed out.

"I don't know; I'm just SO CONFUSED right now. I don't know what I'm doing anymore. I left you both because I thought it would be best for all of us, but I guess I only made things worse. Not just for you and your mother, but… also for myself. Ugh, listen to me. I'm crying like a baby and screaming to the heavens about something I just can't have; how pathetic is that? I really _am_ a loser." Hades paused. "Sometimes, I used to wonder if Maleficent could still see me, even while we were apart. Oh, what would she think of me now?"

More tears fell from Hades' eyes and down his cheeks. Mal started to tear up before she wrapped her arms around her father in a hug. Hades froze.

"Well, even after everything… _I_ still think you're pretty great." She said.

Hades looked at his daughter and after a moment, he pulled her in close and hugged her back.

"Thanks for listening, Mally." He said as they parted. "I really needed to get that off my chest."

"No problem." Mal said as she stood up. "You wanna come back inside? They're just about to serve dessert."

"Nah, I'm good. I think I'm just gonna stay out here a little longer, if that's okay."

"Don't worry, it's totally fine. I'll see you later, Dad."

"Night, Mally. I love you."

"I love you, too."

She bent down and gave him a kiss on the cheek before heading back into the castle. The moment Mal closed the door, she heaved a deep sigh. Her mind was now racing with all sorts of thoughts buzzing around in her head.

'Did Dad cheat on Mom? Or did _Mom_ cheat on _Dad_? Had Pain and Panic lied to them? Was someone else behind this? Who else was involved? What is going on?' She screamed in her head before she heard a scream coming from another room.

"What now?" She asked herself, heading towards the sound.


	8. Aftermath

By the time Mal made it back to the dining room, she was very surprised to see a bunch of guards restraining Forte and Fritz while Ben and Belle were helping Beast get back onto his feet. Fritz was practically kicking and screaming, desperately trying to get himself free.

"What is going on in here?!" Mal screamed.

The room immediately went silent. Everyone turned their heads to see Mal standing in the doorway with an enraged look on her face.

"We're dead." Fritz squeaked in fear.

Mal walked over to Forte and Fritz and gave them a dark glare as she folded her arms over her chest. Everyone in the room remained silent for a long time until Mal finally spoke up.

"You will apologize to my mother and father for what you said to them." She said.

Forte paused, then scoffed. "And if we don't?"

"… Then I'll have to give you a three minute head start." Mal answered.

"Head star for what?" Fritz asked before he noticed the green glow starting to form in the girl's eyes. His face instantly turned from confident to terrified. "Okay, fine! I'm sorry! I'm sorry! Just please don't kill me!"

Mal looked at Forte with the same look and he reluctantly said, "I'm sorry, too."

"Don't tell me. Tell my parents the next time you see them." The glow in Mal's eyes slowly faded. "Now get out."

"What?" Forte asked.

"Get out before I change my mind!" Mal shrieked at the two men.

The guards that were holding them down let them go and Fritz and Forte left the dining room as fast as they possibly could. Mal heaved a sigh of relief before looking back at Ben and his family; she smirked at them.

"What?" She asked.

"You weren't really going to kill them, were you?" Belle asked.

"No… okay, maybe a little." Mal answered before turning to Beast. "What did you get out of them?"

"Well, we just learned that Forte thought that your parents shouldn't be together and that it was unethical and unheard of for a Fairy and a God to be in love." Beast explained.

"But we think he was just jealous of your dad." Ben chimed in.

"Jealous?"

"Yeah. But what about your parents? Are they okay?"

"Yeah, they're fine. I talked with them separately a few minutes ago and… I found out something that makes no sense."

"What's that?"

Mal paused. "…Is it okay if we talk about this tomorrow? I'm pretty bushed."

"Of course, dear." Belle said.

"Yeah. I'm pretty tired, too." Beast added.

"Me, too." Ben said.

As they exited the dining room, Ben couldn't help but notice the confused look on his fiancé's face.

0-0-0-0-0-0

Ben woke up in the middle of the night to get a glass of water. As he was heading back to his room with his water, he noticed that the door to Mal's room was slightly ajar. He peeked inside to see that Mal wasn't in bed. As quietly as possible, he gently opened the door and looked around before noticing the balcony door open. He walked over to the balcony to see Mal looking at the Isle of the Lost.

"Mal?" Ben asked in a whisper.

Mal jumped and turned to see her beloved standing there. "Ben, don't do that. You scared me."

"Sorry." He said as he joined her on the balcony. "Something on your mind?"

"It's my parents." Mal admitted.

"What about them?"

"…They still love each other."

Ben's eyes widened in surprise. "They do?"

Mal nodded.

"Well… I wouldn't be surprised. They looked so happy together at dinner before Forte… you know. What did he and Fritz say to them anyway?"

"It's a little personal."

"I understand, but if your mom and dad still love each other, then… why don't they just get back together?"

"I don't think it's that easy. When I talked to mom, she said dad cheated on her with an enchantress called Circe."

"That's awful."

"And when I talked to dad, he said mom was seeing the Horned King behind his back."

"What?"

"But neither story can true. It's pretty clear to me that they were both lied to."

"By who?"

"Dad's old minions, Pain and Panic."

"Oh, I think I remember hearing about those guys."

"My dad told me that when they told him mom was cheating on him, he instantly fired them and he hasn't seen either of them since."

"So… you think Pain and Panic lied to both of your parents?"

"Yep. And mom and dad are both too scared to even talk about it with each other."

Ben paused, unsure of what to think of the situation. The Mistress of Evil and the Lord of the Underworld… AFRAID to talk about their feelings?!

"But I can't prove that Pain and Panic lied, unless I get some kind of confession from them." Mal continued.

"No offense, Mal, but I don't think you can do this on your own. You're gonna need help… and I'll help in any way I can." Ben said wrapping his arm around her shoulder.

Mal smiled and rested her head on Ben's shoulder. "Thanks, Ben."

"No problem."


	9. The Next Day

"We came was quick was we could." Evie said as she, Jay, Carlos, Jane, Celia, Uma, Harry, Gil, Audrey, Doug, Chad, Lonnie, and Dizzy came in. "What's up?"

"Thanks for coming, guys." Mal said. "I called you here because I have something very important for you to do."

"What is it?" Jay asked.

"Yeah, what's the emergency?" Carlos chimed in.

"Well, as you all may know, Ben and I had dinner with our parents last night." Mal explained. "Then Forte and his son Fritz came in and said things to my parents which made them both leave early. I learned that… my mom and dad still have feelings for each other."

Audrey and Chad let out dramatic gasps.

"That's… bad, right?" Chad asked.

"No, Chad. It's not." Ben sternly chimed in.

"Well… what if it is?" Audrey said. "We can't trust them."

"I saw my parents cry, Audrey! THEY BOTH CRIED!" Mal shouted. "They miss each other, I know it!"

"But… if they're still in love, then…" Jane trailed off.

"I think my dad's old minions lied to them, saying that one cheated on the other and vice versa… And call me crazy, but I think someone else put them up to it."

"Who?" Uma asked.

"I don't know, but I have a hunch that it might be Forte."

"Why Forte?" Doug asked.

"He has a thing for my mom, kind of similar to Judge's Frollo's weird obsession with Esmeralda."

Everyone cringed in disgust.

"So what do want _us_ to do about it?" Harry chimed in.

Mal turned to Harry and Gil. "I need you two to go to the Isle of the Lost, find Pain and Panic, and see what information you can get out of them. We need them to confess in order to confirm my suspicions."

"But what if they fail to cooperate?" Harry questioned.

"I don't know. Interrogate them, threaten them, anything. Just think of something, as ong as you get a confession." Mal said.

"Fine, whatever." Harry reluctantly said.

"You can count on us." Gil said, giving a salute.

"Mind if I tag along? So they won't get distracted?" Uma chimed in.

"You'd do that, Uma?" Ben asked.

"Yeah. I've heard quite a few things about Pain and Panic and I'll tell you one thing. They're not that bright, but they know how to keep a secret. I'll be sure they cooperate and if they don't… I have other ways of making people talking."

"Okay, great. Thank you so much." Mal said, shaking hands with Uma.

"No problem. We'll be back later." Uma said before she, Harry, and Gil left to head off to the Isle.

"What about us?" Celia asked.

"You guys are going to help me with the most important part." Mal answered.

"And what's that?" Audrey asked, folding her arms.

"We're going to recreate the very thing that brought my parents together in the first place." Mal said with a mischievous smile. "We are going to plan… a Blood Moon Ball."


End file.
